Broken Things
by Dengirl
Summary: The Doctor has suffered a complete breakdown, after the events of The Shattered Chasm. He's being cared for, the best way Jack knows, but a journalist does something that will cause untold reprecussions, for everyone.


**Chapter One**

The nurse looked up at the sound of the door opening, it was the American gentleman again. He gave her a ghost of a smile as he passed.

"Good morning sir, Mr Smith is in the solarium with the therapist."

Again the ghost of a smile, before he disappeared down the corridor.

Such a sad case she thought as she picked up the phone.

*************************

The solarium was at the back of the hospital, just of the pool area. Jack slowed his pace as he approached the glass door. He could see the therapist just finishing and writing in her notes.

She looked up as Jack opened the door and moved over to meet him.

"I'm sorry Mr Harkness, I wish I could report better progress, he doesn't show any signs beyond basic movement. I wish I could be more positive."

"Don't be sorry, the doctors' said it was always possible he'd never fully recover."

"I still think this therapist coming in tomorrow might do some good, her methods seem to work with other patients."

She bent down and spoke to the person in the chair. "I'm going now John, your friend Jack is here. Goodbye John."

Jack sat down in the chair opposite and looked up. The therapist was still within earshot.

"How are you today John?"

He searched the face for a flicker of recognition or a spark of curiosity in those eyes. His heart fell as he got neither.

Once he was alone, he dropped the act. "I know you're in there somewhere Doctor, you have to be. Please come back to us, we miss you. I miss you."

He sat with the Doctor for a while, telling him about his adventures.

"Martha and her family send their love. Francine says you'd better get better soon, you're invited to Leo's wedding in August, remember. You missed Martha's birthday, we had cake, one of those with those edible ball bearings you're obsessed with."

He stood up and sighed as the bell rang for the end of visiting. "I'll see you tomorrow. Martha will be with me, that'll be good, yeah."

He smiled at the orderly who arrived to help him back to his room.

"Bye Doctor," he whispered sadly.

**********************

It wasn't until he got back in the SUV that he allowed a tear to escape. His mind flashed back to that night, a long three months ago.

Jack had gone into Torchwood mode. He had contacted a very relieved Ianto, who had arranged everything from transporting the TARDIS, to the cover story for two people and a wooden police box appearing on a busy Cardiff waterfront.

"I'm sorry Jack, but there's nothing more I can do. I've repaired the damage to his hearts, but I'm not a shrink. I can't fix his mind."

That wasn't what Jack had wanted to hear, but it was the truth. So he and Martha had moved him to a private clinic, one that Torchwood had used before, one that didn't ask questions.

The Doctor had been there ever since, locked in whatever personal hell he was in.

***************

The orderly sighed as she picked up the untouched tray of food. "You really should eat something John. It's your favourite, your friends say you love these," she fussed with the bed covers.

"Do you want the light on or off?" She waited for a reply, but there was none.

"Tell you what, I'll turn the light off and leave the door open, shall I?" She shook her head, such a shame as she pulled the door to.

**Chapter Two**

Juliet Foreman was used to getting what she wanted. She had heard about the incident on Cardiff waterfront. So when she had been told, rather bluntly by a police liaison officer called Gwen, that it was a matter of national security, her journalist's hackles were raised.

It had taken her two months, and a lot of promises and bribes, to end up masquerading as an orderly at the Angelis Institute for Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Practices. She'd managed to swap a night shift with one of the other orderlies, and was now standing outside Room 27.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

The patient was sitting up in bed, staring blankly at nothing. She knew from talking to other staff, that the patient was virtually catatonic, but seemed to respond to basic instructions. Breathing a sigh of relief she wheeled the chair over to the bed.

She picked up the medical charts from the bottom of the bed and shoved them in the little pocket at the back of the chair. That was the easy part, now it got harder.

Juliet moved the chair closer to the bed and touched the patient gently.

"Mr. Smith, it's time for your evening exercises. Let's get you into the chair, okay?"

Thanking her luck as he complied meekly, she wheeled the chair out of the room. Taking a deep breath, she wheeled it down the corridor and into the lift, hoping that she had paid the security man enough to look the other way.

Once inside the lift she pushed the laundry button and took out her phone. "Bring the van round to the laundry door."

The van pulled up and a man got out, he went round to the side of the van, pulled the door open and lowered a ramp.

"I can't believe you did it," he said.

"We haven't got out of the gates yet," Juliet reminded him. "This is a kidnapping, and I don't think the people who put him here are worried about such things as the law. Let's go," she ordered as she climbed in the back.

The man nodded and climbed back in, and drove towards the gates. He stopped at the hut just in front of them and anxiously waited whilst the guard checked his paperwork. He was relieved when the guard signed the form and opened the gate to let him out.

Juliet heaved a huge sigh of relief as she heard the guard tell the driver he could go. She looked over at the man sitting in the wheelchair.

"You're a mystery Mr Smith, you don't exist anywhere, but here you are. I intend to find out who you really are, and why you're such a secret."

**********************

Martha carefully lifted the box of the table, carefully lifting the lid to look inside. She heard her mother come down the stairs.

Francine came into the kitchen, carrying a photo album in her hands.

"What's that mum?" Martha asked.

It's the photos from your birthday party. I thought you might like to show them to the Doctor, it might help him. I'll slip them in your bag."

"I'm sure they will, as will the cake. You didn't have to."

"Nonsense, that man deserves a thousand of these. I just want him better and sitting in my kitchen, pinching my marmalade."

"Only so you can mother him," she laughed.

The sound of a car horn interrupted the conversation.

"That'll be Jack," Martha said and headed for the door.

"Give them my love, both Jack and the Doctor."

******************

Jack was trying to tell Martha a joke, when his phone rang. The grin faded from his face, to be replaced by anger.

"How the hell did that happen!" he yelled down the phone and stomped on the accelerator.

Martha looked over at him, a startled look on her face.

"I'm going to kill that guy," Jack snarled.

"Jack, what's happened?!" Martha yelled.

"The Doctor, someone has taken the Doctor!"

******************************

Juliet's heart had finally stopped racing by the time the van pulled up outside the holiday cottage she had rented.

The man helped her get Mr. Smith into the kitchen. She handed him a white envelope.

"It's all there, plus a little hush money. Thank you for your help."

After the man had left, she sat down at the table and stared at her house guest.

"You're an enigma Mr. Smith, if that's you real name. But first thing first, we can't have you seeing a professor in your pyjamas can we. I hope the clothes I brought are alright, I didn't exactly have your measurements."

After several minutes of dressing, she stood back. The shirt may have been a little big, but he didn't look too shabby.

"Stop it Juliet, for all you know he could be a mass murderer, not a cute mental patient."

Shaking herself, she stood up and put the kettle on. "Would you like some tea?"

No response, not even a blink or a twitch of a muscle.

"Who are you, underneath all that silence? Do you have a family, friends, a home, a job and what is so important about you that it makes you a secret?"

With a sigh, she made herself a drink and sat down to try and make heads or tails of the medical charts in front of her.

********************************

By the time they had returned to Torchwood, Jack was steaming. He had wanted to throttle the security guard but had to settle for a solid punch, before he had been dragged away.

He stared through the glass at the guard, trying his best to bore his way through it and into the man's mind.

Martha could see the murderous look in his eyes. "Calm down Jack, its not going to help find the Doctor, if you strangle the guy."

"I am calm," he lied.

"No you're not. I can see that vein sticking out on your neck. Why don't you go and see if Tosh has ID that woman yet."

Toshiko and Gwen looked up from the screen as Jack sat down beside her.

"Good news, I've identified the woman on the tapes. She's a freelance journalist called Juliet Foreman."

"Wait a minute, why do I know that name?" Gwen frowned. "Foreman, Foreman. Got it, she was sniffing around Cardiff Met asking questions about the night you appeared on the waterfront. I thought I'd warned her off."

"Obviously not!" Jack snapped. "Freelance, then she hasn't got an editor we can lean on."

"She did make a phone call from the Institute, it's caught on the lift camera," Tosh added.

"Please tell me you got the number."

*******************

Juliet had read and re-read the medical charts, and she still couldn't get her head around them. Either Mr. Smith had the worst heart murmur or there was a typing error. She looked over at the unmoving Mr. Smith.

"Is this why they had you there? Are you something that's impossible?"

That was two hours ago, she was now driving down the motorway at three in the morning. She never thought that things would go like this. Two months ago, she thought this was just the usual 'one of our experiments went wrong' cover ups. How wrong she had been, this could be one of those 'changing the course of mankind' cover ups.

"I am going to hell," she spoke aloud. She looked over at her recumbent passenger. "But, if these charts are right, you are so going to be worth it."

**Chapter Three**

Jack kicked down the door with an angry bellow, surprising the occupant. Before the man could move Jack had dived at him.

"Where is he, where is she taking him?!" Jack roared.

The man tried to recoil, but was held by Ianto and Owen. "She said she was taking him to see some fancy doctor!"

"Where?!" Jack shouted.

"I don't know, she never said. That's all I know, honest!"

Jack scowled. "Get him out of here," he growled. He kicked the bedside cabinet in frustration, he was getting nowhere fast. The Doctor was slipping further from his grasp.

********************

Martha sat on the Hub stairs watching Myfanwy circle lazily. She heard the main door opening and looked up expectantly. She was hoping to see a glimpse of a familiar figure, but it was only Ianto and Owen returning.

Jack walked in a few moments after and went straight down the steps to where the TARDIS was stored. He let himself into the near dark interior.

"I know you can hear me, you have to help me. I can't find him like this."

A whisper of a voice echoed in his head.

"I _cannot, he is broken. I do not feel him. I cannot fix him_"

"Is that all you can say," Jack's voice cracked with emotion. "Your precious Time Lord could be strapped to a table and being gutted like a pig!"

What sounded like a gentle sob, echoed through the TARDIS.

"_He can only fix himself_" the TARDIS whispered and then fell silent.

Jack turned and left the mournful ship, back up the steps, ignoring the concerned enquiries and shut himself inside his office. He picked up the phone, and for the next few hours he called in every favour and marker he had. When Juliet Foreman surfaced, he would know about it.

**********************

Juliet took hold of Mr. Smith's arm and guided him into the large office.

"Ahh, Miss Foreman, welcome, welcome. So this is the gentleman you were telling me about."

"Thank you for seeing us at such short notice Dr. Jameson."

"Not a problem, I must say I was intrigued by those charts you faxed over to me. Shall we see if they were correct?"

Dr. Jameson still couldn't believe what he heard through his stethoscope. There were definitely two heart beats, one on each side of the chest. His own pulse raced, this was exactly the thing his financiers would like to get their hands on.

He finished his examination and moved back to his desk.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Miss Foreman, but the gentleman has a very pronounced heart murmur, and judging by the scarring he's had recent surgery," he lied.

Before Juliet could reply he continued. "However, I think I should run some tests of my own. If he has such a pronounced murmur, he would more than likely have a pace maker fitted. I can find out where the surgery was done, but it will require more surgery."

Juliet blinked at that. "I don't think so. I'm not letting him out of my sight."

"Miss Foreman, this man may have family or friends who deserve to know where he is, we don't have the right to stop that. Besides, the surgery is small and virtually non-evasive and I can do it within twenty-four hours at my own practice."

"Perhaps your right," she sighed.

"I am there's a perfectly good motel just up the road. You have my number, feel free to call at any time. Please don't worry Mr. Smith is in capable hands."

Reluctantly she agreed. She bent down and looked Mr. Smith directly in the eyes and told him.

"I have to leave you here, but I'll only be down the road at the motel, alright."

She narrowed her eyes, had she seen a spark of understanding.

*************************************

Dr Jameson waited until he was sure Juliet had left his office before turning back to the patient.

"You, Mr Smith are an impossible thing. I have some people who would be very interested in you."

Gwen yawned, boredom was making her tired. So when the computer beeped at her, she jumped in surprise. She stared blankly at the screen for a few minutes, then…

"Jack, we've found her!" she shouted.

There she is," Martha nodded towards the restaurant. "Now Jack, be subtle, we've got her covered."

Juliet sat nervously at her table; she was beginning to think that leaving Mr. Smith with Dr. Jameson had been a bad idea. She had tried to ring his office, but there seemed to be no number, the same result happened when she tried Dr. Jameson's mobile.

A throat being cleared interrupted her thoughts. She looked up, a dark haired man in what looked like military uniform was standing by her table.

"May I sit?" he asked in an American drawl and sat down without waiting for an answer. "It is Juliet Foreman, am I right?"

"Who wants to know?" she countered.

The man flashed an ID. "My name is Jack Harkness. I work for an agency called Torchwood. I think you know why I'm here. Where is Mr. Smith?"

"Who?"

She wasn't ready to give just yet.

"Please Miss Foreman. We have CCTV of you wheeling him out of a secure institute. Don't play games with me, you'll only lose."

"Alright, I did borrow him, only because it's not everyday a blue wooden police box appears in the middle of chucking out time on Cardiff waterfront. I've done my research, that box keeps turning up at disasters, and someone who looks exactly like Mr. Smith was seen at that hospital that disappeared. I knew he had to something special."

Jack didn't reply straight away, should he be honest or lie. She must have had her suspicions or she wouldn't have had the gall to abduct the Doctor. He sighed. Oh well, in for a penny.

"He is, more special than you think. Those charts you stole, it wasn't a typo." He stopped to let that sink in and to gauge her reaction.

Juliet felt her stomach flutter as all her suspicions were confirmed, and then anger took over from joy.

"He lied to me, he told me those charts were wrong, the lying little…"

"Miss Foreman," the man's voice brought her back to the present. "Miss Foreman. Where is Mr. Smith and who lied to you?"

"I'll show you," Juliet stood up. "I hate being lied to."

**Chapter Four**

Why was it so bright? The Doctor thought. Was there a problem with the TARDIS lights? And why was he lying on the med-table?

Slowly, he opened his eyes. This wasn't the med-lab, and this definitely wasn't the TARDIS. He tried to move his head to see, but found it restrained by what felt like a metal band.

"Oww!" he exclaimed.

"Please try not to move, I don't want to slip and accidentally paralyse you," a voice advised him from somewhere behind him.

The Doctor felt and uncomfortable twinge somewhere inside his head. "Are you operating on my brain?" he asked.

"Yes, we had to bring you out of your catatonic state; you're no good to us like that. Now please, be quiet and try not to move."

The Doctor went to speak again but found he couldn't and blackness began to descend again.

******************************

Juliet stared at the now empty office. "But it was here. There was a reception, a waiting room, and over there was his office. I only came to him because he was working for a company that researched brain trauma."

"Who did he work for?" Jack asked quietly.

"A company called Gen-Med."

"Tosh, find out all you can about a company called Gen-Med and someone called…" Jack looked over at Juliet.

"Dr. Simon Jameson."

"Got that, let me know when you've got anything."

"Wait a minute," Martha spoke. "Gen-Med, weren't they involved in a genetic research scandal a couple of years ago."

"Of course!" Ianto snapped his fingers. "There was a huge cover-up, something about using coma and brain damaged patients to test surgical and genetic treatments."

"They've got a research facility, oh, where was it, I can't remember," Martha sighed.

"I don't think it was ever made public, but we'll find it." Ianto pointedly addressed Jack, who he could see was loosing his cool.

Juliet sat dejectedly on a wooden box; she didn't look up when Martha knelt next to her.

"Are you okay? Jack can be a little intense."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise it would be this serious. I was only trying to help your friend."

Martha put a hand on her arm." Don't worry about my friend. If they find a way of helping him or he comes round himself, he'll be a handful they won't expect."

***************

The next time the Doctor opened his eyes, he was no longer on an operating table. He still found himself immobilised, by wrist and ankle straps. Sudden panic threatened to overwhelm him, but he fought it down, now was nit the time for past horrors.

He tested the strength of the ties and found they weren't over tight. With enough flexing of one hand, he managed to slip from the restraint. He quickly removed the others and went to stand up, that was a mistake.

"Whoa, head rush," he said as a wave of dizziness and nausea rolled over him. He put a hand up to his head and he froze. Someone had shaved the side of his head, and he could feel a line of staples running from behind his ear to the base of his skull.

He scowled, either someone was playing Russian roulette with his brain, or more seriously, someone knew what they were doing.

"This won't do, not at all," he muttered and went to the door.

He hissed in annoyance when he found it locked. He turned to see if there was a window, but there was only an air conditioning grill. He had no sonic screwdriver to open the door, but it wouldn't stop him trying.

Returning to the bed, he fiddled with one of the restraints, until he managed to remove one of the buckles and straightened the fastener. He returned to the door and began wiggling the piece of metal in the look. He thought he was getting somewhere when he heard a hiss coming from behind him.

His nose twitched as he smelt something chemical. "Oh, please," he groaned as he crumpled ungracefully to the floor.

*********************

Jack fidgeted impatiently as they drove along the desert road. It seemed more like twenty-four hours, not eight since Tosh had called to say that Gen-Med had a large facility in the Nevada desert, and they were waiting for them at the airport.

"We're in the Nevada desert," Juliet uttered in an incredulous tone.

"Yep," Jack answered. "I hope for your sake, he's still alive."

"Jack, that's not helping," Martha chided.

Jack huffed and folded his arms in a 'so what' way, and pretended to watch the desert outside. He couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't going to go to plan. He looked in the side mirror at the second vehicle, it always came down to violence, and it always did.

**Chapter Five**

The next time the Doctor came to, it didn't feel like he was in a room anymore. It was dark; the floor was cold and felt like metal, some kind of van maybe. He shifted slightly and heard a familiar rattle; he was chained to the side of the van.

He still felt slightly groggy from whatever they had knocked him out with. The tang of it was still in his mouth. Something niggled in his mind, he shouldn't be here.

This was Sol 3, or Earth as its inhabitants called it. He definitely shouldn't be here. He tried to stand up, but the chains wouldn't allow it, and the sway of the van as it started unbalanced him. He heard voices outside the van.

"He's ready to go sir."

"Good, my informant said the Torchwood team would be here any minute. I'll meet you at our secondary lab."

The Doctor's eyes widened, it looked like he had been caught by one and being pursued by another, neither with his best interests at heart. Rassilon, I have to get out of here, he panicked.

************************

Jack took an instant dislike to the man in the corporate suit in front of him.

"Welcome to Gen-Med Captain Harkness. I'm sure your inspectors will find everything is in order" the man smiled.

Jack didn't smile back. He could she the smile didn't reach his eyes, he was lying, Jack knew it.

His earpiece beeped, it was Gwen.

"You were right Jack, a van has just passed through the perimeter gates, at speed, no lights. Do you want us to intercept?"

"No, follow, but if they spot you and rabbit, do what you have to. We'll follow when we can."

Jack smiled at the suit. "Shall we get on with it then?"

Gwen peered out into the darkness, thankful for the infra-red tracer on the SUVs' screen. "Turn right Ianto, but keep back. I don't know how long our luck will last."

Just as she said that, the van swerved violently left, off the main road.

"Ianto!" she cried.

"I see it!" he yelled back, stomping on the brakes and twisting the wheel, then accelerating. He flicked on the lights, no point in subtlety any more.

The Doctor was thrown violently left, he cried out in pain as the chains bit into him painfully. He tried his best to stay still as the van swerved and bucked continuously. This wasn't going to end well, he thought.

Ianto floored the SUV and rammed the van from behind, causing it to veer dangerously.

"They're not stopping, the map shows this road end at a ravine in a few miles!" Gwen shouted as she held on for dear life.

"Then I'll have to stop it!" Ianto said through gritted teeth. "Hang on!"

He accelerated and drew opposite the van and turned the wheel.

The force of the collision caused both vehicles to veer dangerously and tip.

Gwen had a brief glimpse of the van drivers panicked face, before her world turned into a giant washing machine.

The SUV and the van rolled several time and came to a stop. The SUV had landed on its roof, the two occupants dangling like strange bats.

The van had rolled further and managed to land upright, albeit mangled and crushed. The back doors burst open and a figure fell out.

The Doctor sat down heavily, dazed from the collision. He vaguely registered the black vehicle to his right. Slowly he stood up, resting against the van as he swayed. He felt something warm trickle down his neck, he placed a hand against it and it came away slick with blood, his stitches must have broken.

Stumbling slightly, he went to the front of the van; he could smell death before he even saw the mangled bodies of the two people inside. He turned away as he heard sounds coming from the other vehicle, the others were coming round.

'Run, hide,' one part of his mind screamed. 'No, help them' another part said calmly.

He compromised and pulled them both from the SUV and laid them on the ground. Humans, he thought, so tough, yet so fragile. No wonder so many races coveted this planet, no wonder these humans fought so hard to defend it.

Wishing he could do more to help the two, he headed off into the desert night.

**Chapter Six**

Ianto groaned and slowly opened his eyes, but they flew open when the recent events flooded back. He sat up slowly; he couldn't feel any broken bones or fractures.

He looked round for Gwen; she was lying a few feet away, neatly laid in the recovery position. Someone must have placed them out here; a horrible thought crossed his mind, the Doctor. He looked around, his heart racing, but the only thing he saw was the van and the still trapped bodies of the other men.

"Jack is so going to kill me," he groaned.

***************************************

Jack let the chains drop to the ground in disgust; they were so going to pay. He and the rest of the team had endured a long, seemingly never ending tour of everything they were allowed to see, and nothing they wanted to see.

He walked over to where Martha and Owen were attending to Gwen and Ianto. Both were now sitting up and feeling much better. He knelt down on his haunches in front of them, and before Ianto could open his mouth to apologise, he spoke.

"It's not your fault, you had to stop them. I did give you the order."

Ianto sighed. "Was it the Doctor?"

We think so, Tosh is running tests on some blood we found in the van."

"Blood?" Gwen asked and her face blanched.

"Don't worry, it's not a lot, mostly on the chains," Jack assured them.

"But Jack," Ianto said. "If he moved us, that means he's not catatonic anymore."

"I know," Jack sighed. "But he didn't stay."

"He could just be confused, especially if he found himself in the back of that van, chained and not knowing what's going on," Gwen offered.

"Maybe, I just want to find him," Jack answered.

***********************************************************

Tosh and Juliet were by the van. Tosh was wiping the chains with a swab, whilst Juliet looked on miserably.

"That man's going to kill me, isn't he?" Juliet looked over at Jack.

"Of course not, he's just worried about his friend," Tosh soothed. She placed the swab in a small silver container and pressed a keypad attached to it. After a few seconds it beeped at her and she looked at the small screen.

"Damn!" she breathed.

"It's his blood, isn't it?" Juliet asked softly.

Tosh nodded. "You better stay here, out of his firing line."

****************************************************************

The Doctor had no idea how far he had walked, not even where he was, in fact he had no idea why he was out here, only the fact that someone was chasing him.

That had been a couple of hours ago, he was very tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. He had been fighting the tiredness and the waves of nausea since leaving, spurred on by fear of being re-captured.

Now he was just too tired. "I'll rest, just for a few minutes," he said to himself and lay down, he was asleep in seconds.

*************************************

"What?!" Jack exploded.

"There's traces of re-engineered Ret-Con in the blood," Tosh squeaked.

"So, he's out there with no memory, hurt and running for his life and I can't do a damn thing until it's light!" he roared and kicked the dirt in frustration before stomping off.

"Tosh, go back to the jet, take Miss Foreman with you. Someone told them we were coming and gave them Ret-Con, we have to find them." Martha took charge.

Tosh nodded and hurried back to one of the SUV's, not blinking once at Martha giving orders.

"The Doctor could still be in the area. Owen, take the other SUV, do a perimeter sweep. The rest of will stay here with Jack, just in case."

"What about Jack?" Gwen asked.

"Leave him for a while, he'll be okay. It looks like it'll be light enough soon for an aerial search," Martha said as she looked up at the lightening sky.

Jack looked on as the SUV drove off in the rising dawn. Anger and worry were grating on his already frayed nerves. If the Doctor had been Ret-Conned, god knows what a re-engineered one would do. The thought that the Doctor might never comeback, frightened him more than any alien threat ever would. He looked up as the sound of a helicopter filled the air.

***************************

The Doctor felt something wet on his ear, and heard something snuffling in his ear. He jerked awake, causing the snufflee to move away.

Chiding himself for being too skittish, he looked for the source of the snuffling. A tan and black German shepherd sat a few feet away, its head cocked to one side, ears pricked.

"Hello," the Doctor called and was rewarded with a lapful of enthusiastic barking dog.

He didn't hear the horse approaching and jumped when a voice spoke.

"He doesn't normally take to strangers."

The Doctor looked up at the rider. A Native American, he believed they were called, looked back, eyes full of curiosity... He did however spot the weapon casually pointing in his direction.

"Perhaps you can tell me what you're doing on private land?"

The Doctor was about to reply, when the sound of a helicopter came into earshot. He glanced nervously up at the sky.

"So, it's you they're looking for. They've been buzzing around since sun-up. I take it you don't want to be found?"

"No," was all the Doctor said.

"Did they do that to your head?"

"Don't know."

"Well, just in case they did, let's get you out of here."

The rider offered his hand and the Doctor stood up and took it, swinging up behind the rider. The rider urged his mount forward and whistled for the dog, and headed away from the circling helicopter.

******************************

Jack looked down, his eyes skimmed over another rancher checking his fences. He was about to order the pilot to go onto the next sector, when he realised there was something different about the rancher.

"Turn around!" he yelled. "Down there!" he pointed.

Martha who was in the back looked where he had pointed. She could now see what he could see; there were two people on one horse.

"Get lower, in front of them," Jack ordered.

The helicopter performed a sweeping turn, swooping like a bird of prey and diving down on its target.

The rider pulled his horse to a skidding halt as the helicopter landed directly in front of them. He could feel his passenger tense as two figures stepped out.

"Easy now, let me deal with them," he whispered and gently lowered the person to the ground. "Stay behind."

"Sam, protect!" he addressed the dog, which immediately stood in front of the man.

Jack and Martha approached the rider; they could see a very familiar figure behind the horse.

"Doctor," Jack called as he moved closer. He froze when he heard the familiar click of a rifle being cocked.

"I think that's far enough. Now this gentleman doesn't want you near him, so I reckon you should get back in your bird and get off my property."

Jack looked at Martha, and then past the rider and straight at the Doctor.

"Doctor, it's me Jack, you don't have to be frightened of me."

Jack took a step forward and the man he knew as the Doctor whimpered in fear. He went to take another step, but stopped dead when a bullet kicked up dust by his feet.

"Like I said, the gentleman here doesn't want you near him. Now as I suggested, get back in your bird and leave before I have you explain to the Sheriff why I had to shoot you."

Martha went to move to her right while the rider was occupied with Jack. She had got within a few feet of the Doctor, when the dog that had been standing stock still, growled, its hackles raised.

"I wouldn't get any closer, Miss. Sam there is an ex-service dog, he won't hesitate in ripping your throat out, if he has to. Now get back with you friend and leave."

Okay, okay," Jack started to back off. "Martha, there'll be another time."

The rider kept his rifle trained on the helicopter until it had ascended and was almost out of view. He then turned back to his charge.

"Let's get you somewhere safe, so can you tell me what the hell is going on."

**Chapter Seven**

The Sheriff was startled by the door to his office being slammed against the wall. He looked up and was faced with a very angry military officer.

"Just one minute, Captain Harkness, you can't just barge in here and ask me to arrest one of the locals."

Jack's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Martha.

She pushed past him and smiled sweetly at the disgruntled Sheriff. "You'll have to excuse the captain, he can be a little hot headed."

"And you are?"

"Dr. Martha Jones," she replied.

"And you work for the same branch of Homeland Security as the Captain?"

"Yes, I'm the Chief Medical Officer for this region, but never mind me. As the captain was saying, one of our agents was involved in an incident whilst on an investigation. We believe he was injured in the said incident and may require medical attention. All we want to do is retrieve him and we'll be out of your hair."

"What was your man investigating out in the desert?"

"That's classified," Jack answered from where he was standing.

The sheriff leaned back in his chair and studied the pair. The hot head captain was standing with arms crossed, looking like a highly unstable bottle of nitro, ready to blow. The young woman who was waiting calmly for his answer seemed a little young, but who knew.

"Alright, the land belongs to the Shoshone reservation, it's owned by Joseph Three Feathers, one of the tribal elders. There's only one problem."

"And that is?" Jack asked.

"I don't have any jurisdiction on the reservation. You have to go and see the tribal sheriff."

Jack's face clouded and the muscle in his jaw twitched.

The sheriff saw his expression change and added quickly. "It's up to the tribal sheriff to give you permission to enter tribal lands. I'll call ahead and let him now your coming." He would be glad to be rid of the pair.

********************

"What if the tribal sheriff doesn't let us on the reservation?" Martha worried.

"Don't you worry about that, do you think I'm going to let that stop me," Jack growled.

"I guessed that, it would just be much easier, if it could be without too much…"

"Violence…" Jack finished her sentence.

"Yeah, violence. Looking at the Doctor, he's been traumatised enough. God knows what that modified Ret-Con has done. Jack, he may not even remember that he's a Time Lord."

Jack didn't answer, but kept his eyes on the road and his hands gripped the wheel even tighter.

*********************

"I think he's waking up grandpa," the girl said.

The Doctor heard the voice like he was underwater, muffled and distorted.

"Okay honey, go and get some more water," a man's voice spoke.

The Doctor groaned, painfully aware of the throbbing ache radiating through his head. He tried to sit up, but a firm hand pushed him back.

"Whoa there, no sitting up, not yet," the voice insisted.

"Where am I?" the Doctor asked, looking about with a confused frown.

"Safe is where you are." The man turned round as his granddaughter returned with a pitcher of water and a glass.

The man poured a glass and set it on the bedside cabinet. "Now you can sit up."

With a lot of help and the young girl placing the pillows behind for support, the Doctor struggled to a sitting position. He gratefully took the glass and relished the feel of the icy water in his mouth.

"Now, perhaps we can continue our conversation from earlier. Who are you and what were you doing on reservation land?"

The Doctor went to answer. "I'm….." he stopped. "I don't know…" he whispered.

"Memory loss, huh, but those two from the helicopter knew you. Well, your title anyway. The fella called you Doctor."

"I'm a doctor, I don't remember, I think they wanted to hurt me," agitation causing his voice to waver.

The man put a calming hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Don't you worry about them."

The young girl knocked on the door. "The healer is here, grandpa."

"Okay, this is my grand daughter Shanna, she will sit with you for a while.

**************

Jack spotted the sheriff leaning on his vehicle by the roadside, and pulled over.

"Jack, be diplomatic, they aren't aliens holding the Doctor hostage," Martha said as they got out of the SUV.

"You must be from Homeland Security" the sheriff spoke.

"You must be Sheriff Black Tail," Jack replied, as casually as he could muster.

"The county sheriff says you're looking for someone, someone you said was picked up by a rancher."

"Yes." Jack replied. "He's a fellow agent who was working on an undercover case at Gen-Med. He's been injured in the line of duty. All we want to do is go in and retrieve him."

The sheriff pushed himself up from his vehicle. "That's a pretty big want, you don't want to question anybody or search any houses?"

"No, all we want is to get our man out and get him some medical help," Martha smiled at him.

The sheriff considered her answer for a few moments. "Tell you what I'll do; you're welcome to come on the reservation."

"There's a but coming, isn't there?" Jack sighed.

"If your man has been taken in by one of the tribe, then you have to ask the tribal councils' permission to speak to him. Then you might be able to take your man, but if your man doesn't want to go, the council won't force him."

"And then we can't touch him," Jack bristled.

He took a step forward, but felt Martha's hand on his arm.

"Leave it Jack. Sheriff Black Tail, I'm sure the county sheriff has told you that I'm the medical officer, would it be possible to bring my medical team along?"

"I can't see why not, as long they're necessary."

"Thank you, I'm sure we can sort this out with the least amount of trouble to you or the council. It'll take us a few hours to get organised."

"Sure, it might take a while to call a council meeting. Please don't be offended if the council say no, things are always open to negotiation. There will be no need for trouble." He looked directly at Jack when he said it.

As they watched the sheriff drive away Jack muttered. "If that wasn't a warning, then I'm a monkeys'…"

"At least he didn't say no, and now we can get the team in to. I know even if the council and the Doctor say no, it won't stop you." Martha said.

"Damn right it won't," Jack growled.

********************

"You really can't remember who you are?" Shanna asked.

"No, though someone thinks I'm a doctor," the Doctor replied.

"I think you're a doctor, you have kind eyes. Did you have an operation?" she went to touch the stitches but pulled her hand back when the Doctor flinched.

"Sorry, does it hurt?" she smiled nervously.

"It's all right," he smiled to show her he wasn't hurt. "You can touch them."

Gently, she reached up and lightly ran her fingers along the stitches. "Did the bad men put them there? It's always like that on the TV."

"Aren't you a little young to be watching ……"

"I'm thirteen next month and my grandpa is letting me chose my own horse. He says only grown up girls can have horses." she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sorry, my mistake, I used to have a horse."

"You remembered you had a horse," Shanna smiled. "What was he called?"

The Doctor frowned. "Sorry, I can't remember," he sighed and then yawned.

"You must be tired, I'll tell grandpa you're sleeping. I hope you remember your horses' name," she said before running out of the room and closing the door behind her.

The Doctor smiled, humans were such strange things. He frowned, why had he called them humans. He tried to remember but his mind clamoured for sleep and he rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes.

*******************************

Jack stomped up the jet steps, shouting orders before he had even got inside. The team set about following them in their usual 'we'll go at our own pace, even if Jack is breathing fire' manner.

Juliet sat quietly in one of the seats, slightly bewildered by all the activity.

"What are we going to do about her?" Gwen asked Jack. "Do we Ret-Con her and put her on a plane back to the UK?"

Jack thought about it seriously for about thirty seconds. "No, bring her, she was the last person the Doctor saw before this all kicked off. He might remember her, she'll be useful."

****************

"You really think the Doctor's going to come back with us?" Gwen asked as they drove towards the reservation.

"I don't think anything at the moment," Owen answered. "It depends on how screwed up his brain and his mind is. The surgery was bad enough, but then Ret-Con on top of it."

"I've being thinking about that Ret-Con," Tosh said. "They would have had to re-engineer it to work on his brain, right. But even then his faster healing properties would eventually overwhelm the drug."

"So?" Owen said.

"They would have to find a way either of re-administrating it, but we all know what too much Ret-Con does, or find another way of wiping out his memories."

"Hang on, where were the stitches on his head?" Owen interrupted.

"Left hand side, from his ear to his nape, so Jack says."

"That explains his behaviour."

"How?" both women asked.

"I've been looking at UNIT medical files on him from when he was on Earth. That area is where memory is stored, so they've removed it, which would be stupid…"

"Because, he'd be no good to them with no memory at all," Gwen said.

"Right, so Gen-Med, leaders in helping coma and brain trauma victims, it's not impossible that they've got something that has the same effects as Ret-Con, except you don't have to keep dosing the patient."

"An implant!" Tosh exclaimed.

"Yep, clever but so not right."

Gwen frowned." Okay, but who's going to tell Jack?"

**Chapter Eight**

He was running, pulling someone behind him. He glanced back; a girl with blonde hair was racing with him, her hand tightly entwined with his.

Keep going!" he yelled and flinched when he the metallic shriek.

"Exterminate!!!"

The girl stumbled and her hand slipped from his, causing him to overbalance and tumble head first into a wall.

"All un-branded humans will be exterminated!" the shriek grew in decibels.

Dazed from the fall, he looked on in horror.

The blonde girl was defiantly standing her ground, as the metal creature raised its weapon and fired.

"No," he let out an anguished scream, his hands scrabbling against the damp floor as metal death came towards him.

*******************

Joseph and the group of men with him looked up as the scream erupted from upstairs, startled expressions on their faces.

They hurried upstairs and into the bedroom. The man in the bed was thrashing wildly, cries of pure terror escaping his lips.

"Hold him down!" one of the men ordered.

Two of the younger men tightened their grip on the man's arms and legs, but he still struggled against their grip.

"Hold his head still!" the man shouted as he mixed a powder in a glass of water.

He placed the glass against the man's mouth and forced it open, pouring the liquid down his throat. Most of it went over his hands as the man gagged and choked on the water.

"Swallow it," the man spoke firmly and pressed a hand against his throat, causing him to swallow involuntary.

Gradually, his wild thrashing calmed until he fell back into an undisturbed sleep.

"That should let him sleep without dreams," the man said.

"We must discuss the matter of the people who wish to remove him. It's obvious he is not able to speak for himself at this time."

The others nodded in agreement.

**********

Jack had exploded when Gwen told him their theory about an implant. It took all of their persuasive powers to stop him from tearing Gen-Med apart, starting with that condescending suit. He was already uptight, having to wait until tomorrow to see the tribal council, and hopefully the Doctor, so it was like adding salt to the wound.

He was now nursing a bloodied hand from repeatedly hitting the nearest wall, and was being painfully treated by two doctors.

"Well, that was a dumb-arse thing to do," Owen said with his usual bedside manner.

"I agree, definitely dumb- arse," Martha chimed as they both cleaned and taped his hand.

"Punching the wall won't help," Owen scolded. "You can tear Gen-Med another one when we get the Doctor back, whole and healthy."

"Trust me, he's coming back, even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming," Jack said through gritted teeth.

"He'll hate you if you do," Martha said softly.

"I don't care if he hates me forever, I want the Doctor back, and not a shadow of the man he is." Jack pulled away and looked out of the window.

"That may not be up to us. What if this council say no," Owen said.

"Like I said he'll be coming back, one way or another, council approval or not," Jack replied in a dangerous low whisper.

************

The clock read 1:30 pm when there was a knock on Jack's door.

"Did you get it?" Jack asked.

"Yes, the satellite shows one person with a double heartbeat, top floor."

"How many others?" Jack asked.

"Two, five in the building outside."

"Did you bring the canisters?

"Yes, plus some sedative, just in case."

"Well done Ianto, and thank you," Jack smiled. "Okay, let's go."

***********

The Doctor opened his eyes, blinking away the remnants of whatever that nightmare was. Had he known that blonde haired girl, so brave in the face of the nameless enemy? Why did he feel like he had done a lot of running?

He looked at the clock by the bedside, nearly 1:45pm. He felt thirsty but the pitcher was empty, so he got up and went downstairs into the kitchen. He was about to leave the kitchen, when the flicker of a shadow caught his eye.

Curiosity overcame fear; he went over to the door and unlocked it slowly and quietly. Cautiously he stepped outside.

Seeing nothing he turned to go back in, but a movement stopped him in his tracks. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Joseph and a very frightened Shanna being restrained and hands over their mouths. He turned towards them, went to go forward when a cloth was suddenly clamped over his mouth, and he was drag off the step.

Instinctively, he lashed out, but his arm was grabbed by another hand, and as his sense gradually faded, he heard a bellow of rage.

**Chapter Nine**

Jack and Ianto had entered the outbuilding after lobbing a canister through an open window. Expecting to find unconscious people, they had found bodies, killed without caution, discarded like rags.

They were examining the bodies when the sounds of a disturbance drifted in from outside. Gesturing for Ianto to stay, Jack moved to the door and froze.

The Doctor was struggling with two men, whilst an elderly man and a terrified young girl were being restrained.

He saw the Doctor collapse and then he saw red….

Jack hurtled across the dirt, aiming for the Doctor's assailants; when something solid hit him from the side.

Both hit the ground hard, but rage gave Jack the impetus to grab the other figure by his head and twist viciously. There was the audible crack as he broke the man's neck, and as he let go he twisted back ready to charge again.

A single shot rang out and a voice followed.

"Enough, soldier boy! I've no problem killing these two. Now move towards the van, put him in the back with the other, and take the kid too."

Jack and Shanna were bundled roughly into the back of the van besides an unconscious Doctor.

Jack moved quickly over and cradled the Doctor's head in his arms. His anger flashed again as he saw the ugly stitches, stark against shaved hair. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from the Doctor's forehead, which stubbornly sprang back.

He smiled weakly at that. "I'm sorry, I should have never left you alone. But I'm here now, and I won't leave you," he whispered, holding him tighter as the van lurched to a start and bumped along the dirt road.

************

Ianto heard the gunshot and peered over the window sill. He could see Jack standing over a body and the Doctor being placed inside a van. He tensed as he saw Jack and a distraught young girl being shoved in the back as well.

He couldn't move until the van and the others had left. When he was sure they had gone, he moved out of the door and over to the elderly man, who was sitting on the veranda steps and sat down next to him. The man was obviously in shock, so he spoke softly.

"Sir, we will get your grand-daughter, if you'll let us have access to your land."

"Tell me something; were those men from Gen-Med?" Joseph asked.

"I think so, yes."

"I told the council it was a bad idea to sell them some of our land. Too many things have happened since they came here. Now they have no fear of punishment, so now the innocent pay the price for other people's inaction. You said you could get my grand-daughter back, you will need my help, come, we must go to the council."

***********

Jack banged his hand against the Perspex wall for the umpteenth time. It had been several hours since they had been shoved into the see through cell.

They were in what was a shop of horrors. Jack had spotted at least a dozen different alien species, mostly at various stages of dissection. Those who Jack thought were the less fortunate ones were in similar cells to himself, the Doctor, and the young girl. All of the other occupants showed signs of either surgery of experimentation.

His attention was drawn from the surroundings by the sound of the Doctor coming too. Jack moved quickly back to his side.

The Doctor pushed his way through the fog that was obstructing his vision. He could see the blurry shape of a face swimming into view, he blinked owlishly once or twice, trying to clear the fog. The face started to become clearer, and as it did, he recoiled in terror.

He reacted violently when he had recognised the face in front of him. He literally threw himself against the wall, shaking it violently. The man looming over him felt wrong, so wrong. So wrong in fact, it made him sick, he had to get away.

Jack was horrified at the Doctor's reaction, staring numbly at first as he scrabbled away from him. The look of terror on the Doctor's face had cut through his heart like a knife.

"Please, stop, it's me Jack. You know me!" he pleaded, but flinched again as the Doctor flung himself against the wall.

He had to stop him before he did himself more damage, he moved forward to restrain him. He stopped when he felt something tug at his coat. He looked round; it was the young girl, tears in her eyes.

"He's scared, because he thinks your one of the bad men. Let me try, what's his name?"

"I just call him Doctor," Jack answered. "Are you sure? He might hurt you."

"He won't, he has kind eyes, he's not a bad man."

"Okay, but be careful."

The girl approached the still panicking Doctor like she would one of her grandpa's skittish young horses.

"Doctor, remember me. You told me you had a horse once, but you couldn't remember its name," she spoke in a quiet, soft voice.

The Doctor stopped at the sound of a voice he found familiar. He turned away from the wall and looked at the girl, his head tilted on one side, a puzzled frown on his face.

"You were getting a horse for your thirteenth birthday. "

"Yes, do you remember me?"

The Doctor's face was a picture of concentration, and then his face lit up.

"Shanna?" The look of recognition was replaced by one of concern. He held out his hand to her.

"Come away from him, he's wrong." He gave Jack a look laced with pure venom.

"Don't be silly," Shanna smiled. "He's a friend; he tried to stop them taking you and me."

The Doctor stared at Jack, who didn't like being on the receiving end of it. It was the look he reserved for people he thought were liars, the one that could see into your deepest thoughts.

After a few moments the Doctor visibly relaxed and sank to the floor. Rubbing his hands over his face, he sighed.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were with them. I don't even know you r name."

"Jack Harkness and its okay. You had every right to be scared."

The Doctor frowned again. "Your name sounds familiar. Have we met?"

Jack's heart skipped a beat at the glimmer of hope. "Yes, several times."

"Then why can't I remember?" the Doctor said, pulling at the unshaved part of his hair in that oh so familiar gesture.

"There's a lot you don't remember. Those barstards have screwed with your brain so much, you don't know up from down."

"Did I know a blonde girl? I dreamt about her."

Jack's heart skipped again. "Oh yeah, you know her."

"I can't remember her name."

"Her name was Rose, Rose Tyler."

The Doctor drew in a sharp breath, as the image of a blonde girl flashed through his head. Running, all that running. Those metallic shrieks. Rose!

"Oh god, oh god, she's dead isn't she," he banged his head against the wall.

"No, no, she's alive." Jack knelt beside him. "You remember her, don't you?"

"I, she, we….." He didn't finish the sentence as he suddenly arched in pain.

"Doctor!!" both Jack and Shanna cried.

They heard the click of the door unlocking and Jack put Shanna behind him, glaring pure murder at the man in the white coat holding a device.

"Now we can't have that, can we? The implant must be malfunctioning; it will have to be removed. Put him on exam table three. I want the good captain and his young friend to see the results of interfering."

Jack snarled his protest at the armed guard facing him, as two technicians removed the Doctor.

"Wake him up, I need him conscious," White Coat ordered.

"You hurt him again, and no amount of armed guards are gonna save you from me!" Jack spat.

"Such aggression," White Coat tutted. "We really will have to cure that. Why should you care what we do to this alien. Aren't we doing the same as Torchwood?"

"We don't use them as lab rats!" Jack shouted as the man shut the door.

He pounded on the door as he saw them place the Doctor on the table, and then his sight was blocked by White Coat and his technicians.

Jack stopped pounding when he heard Shanna screaming.

"Leave him alone, don't hurt him anymore!"

Jack froze when heard the sound of someone in agony drifting through the speaker on the cell wall. A cold shiver ran through him when he recognised the voice belonging to the screams.

Jack wrapped his arms around Shanna protectively, and tried to close his ears to his friends' agony.

***************

Ianto sat outside the council room, fidgeting nervously. He looked up when the outer doors crashed open and the rest of the Torchwood crew entered en- mass, all firing questions at once.

Ianto lost his patient. "Everybody just shut up!" he roared. "Jack, the Doctor and an innocent young girl are stuck inside Gen-Med. Save the arguments for later!"

The door to the council room opening curtailed any further arguments.

Joseph stepped out. "Mr Jones, you have your permission. And you have our help."

"Thank you, sir." He turned to the others. "We need a plan of attack."

Jack would have been proud of his team as they set about planning the assault on Gen-Med. Joseph had gathered a group of twenty men, alarmed with traditional weapons of war.

"My men can get you inside. We can take out the security teams and anyone coming from inside."

"What about the Sheriff's, tribal and county?" Gwen asked.

"Don't worry about them, If someone doesn't look, then someone doesn't see," Joseph smiled.

"We need to get to them fast," Owen said.

"But we have no idea where they are," Martha said.

Joseph appeared with a nervous looking young man.

"This is Sammy. He works as a cleaner at Gen-Med. He say's that they weren't allowed to clean in one of the laboratories on his shift tonight."

Ianto spread out a plan of Gen-Med. "Show me."

********

Jack had tried his best to shield Shanna from the torture of the Doctor, but brave beyond her years, she refused to cover her ears. Jack looked down at her, she had cried through the entire ordeal, but had not looked away. Funny, he thought, even when the Doctor was in dire straits, he still managed to draw strong, brave people too him.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention, and he was once again kept back by an armed guard.

That was a good move as the sight of the Doctor sent him into a rage, causing the two techs to drop the Doctor on the floor and scoot out under the protection of the guard.

"Oh, poor Doctor," Shanna whispered.

Jack's breath caught in his throat at the Doctor's injuries. Blood was seeping from crudely stitched incisions. The stitches on his head had been opened; blood and clear liquid were oozing from the open wound. But worst of all, he had been conscious through all of it.

Jack moved closer to the Doctor and he realise he was looking straight at him, eyes glazed with pain. A wave of nausea swept through him, when he realised it was his Doctor looking at him. Dear god, he had suffered the horrors as himself.

"Doctor," he croaked, tears flowing freely as he knelt down besides him. "I'm…" he sobbed.

A hand lifted slowly and was placed over his.

"Don't be," a hoarse whisper replied.

"They are so dead," Jack snarled.

"No, please, no more blood!" the Doctor forced out, a trickle of blood escaping his lips.

"Easy, don't try to talk, save your strength." Jack squeezed the Doctor's hand gently.

"Is he going to be all right?" Shanna asked her eyes red from crying.

Before Jack could answer, the Doctor had turned his head towards her. "I'll be fine." He gave her a weak smile and closed his eyes.

Doctor?" Jack frowned. His stomach fluttered as he put his ear to the Doctor's chest. He was relieved when he heard two heartbeats; they were weak, but still beating. He could hear the rattle in the Doctor's laboured breathing.

"They are so going to pay," he swore.

He brushed that stray lock of hair back again, and almost jumped out of his skin when an alarm blared out.

**Chapter Ten**

The first guard went down silently, an arrow through his throat, the second and third followed in quick succession. Several figures darted across the open space, just as another patrol appeared, and the element of surprise was lost.

Ianto and Tosh were huddled by a door as bullets, arrows and war whoops filled the air.

"How much longer!" Gwen yelled as she ducked down, a volley of bullets biting into the dirt near her feet. She was trying her best to protect the rest of the team as they readied themselves for going inside.

"Trying our best!" Ianto yelled back.

"Nearly there," Tosh said, just as the alarm went off.

"Oh, fantastic!" Gwen groaned as she fired of another round.

"We're in!" Tosh cried, yanking the door open, allowing Ianto to go first.

Clear!" he shouted.

The others piled in after Tosh, into the service tunnel. Tosh held up a computerised schematic.

"That way," she pointed and set off.

*******

The sound of the alarm jolted the Doctor back to consciousness; he took in a rattling breath.

Jack was by his side in an instant, Shanna just behind him

"Jack..?" He tried to sit up, but painfully failed, banging his head against the wall.

"Easy, just rest okay," Jack put a hand on the Doctor's chest.

"What's…..happening?" he forced himself to ask in-between laboured breathes.

"I don't know. Something's got them spooked."

"I…need…to" he struggled to sit up again.

Jack gently pushed him back again. "Don't you worry about it, just stay. Shanna, can you sit with him?"

Shanna nodded and took one of the Doctor's hands in hers, as Jack turned back to the scene outside.

*******

"Kill that alarm!" bellowed White Coat. "What the hell is going on?!"

A guard ran up to him, breathing hard. "There's been a breech, all the patrol outside are down!"

"Torchwood!" White Coat hissed.

He turned back to his nervous technicians. "You, start downloading and deleting records. You, start the cleansing programme."

"What about Subject A, sir?"

"I'll deal with it, now go!"

He turned back to the guard. "Give me you r side arm and follow me."

******

Jack narrowed his eyes as he saw White Coat and the guard approach, once again standing in front of the Doctor and Shanna.

White Coat entered the cell, the hand gun held casually in his hand. "Watch him." He pointed at Jack.

"It seems your little team have me at a disadvantage. No matter, one can always start again."

White Coat moved past Jack and placed a hand on the Doctor's head, who flinched away from his touch.

"I told you, if you hurt him…" Jack snarled.

"Really. Tell me captain, are you faster than a bullet. I don't think you are? It would be pointless to shoot you, you wouldn't stay dead for long."

Jack couldn't keep the surprise from showing on his face.

"Oh, we know all about your immortality and about your friend here. One man who can't die, and another that changes bodies like I change a shirt. It's a pity I can only take one of you with me. Now if you would kindly drag your friend out of this cell and we'll be on our way."

Jack stare was full of murderous intent as he placed his hand under the Doctor's arms and pulled.

The Doctor groaned as he was lifted, he opened pain filled eyes.

"Are we going?" he mumbled before descending into a body wracking cough, fresh blood staining already stained lips.

"Yes, somewhere safe," Jack lied, rage burning ineffectually through his blood.

"Good," the Doctor sighed and let his head rest on Jacks' shoulder.

Jack lifted him onto the gurney just outside the cell, steeping back in under gunpoint.

"Thank you captain, I would say it has been a pleasure, but that would be a lie. So I'll say goodbye and hope we never meet again."

The click of the door locking was like a gunshot in Jack's ears. He watched in despair as White Coat, the Doctor and the guard disappeared into an open lift door.

************

The loud noise of explosives heralded the entrance of the Torchwood team. They were drawn to the cell in the middle, where Jack was yelling and kicking at the door.

Tosh sprinted over and pressed a small device against the lock, trying to ignore the yelling from inside.

Jack was out of the door before it even had time to open fully. He snatched up a discarded automatic rifle and growled.

"Where does that lift go?"

"It's a service lift, it goes down to the morgue and the warehouse entrance. Jack?" Ianto said.

"Not now!" Jack snarled. "Stairs?!"

"That door," Tosh pointed.

"Stay here, that's an order!" he barked as he headed for the door.

**************

The Doctor knew he was moving he could feel the bumps through his back.

"Jack?"

"Unfortunately not, he's not coming with us."

The Doctor felt a chill along his spine when he recognised the voice. He tried to move, but found he was restrained again.

"Let me go, please," he begged, fear paralysing him.

"Sorry, you're too valuable a prize," White Coat said, ignoring his pleas.

"You don't know you don't……" the Doctor whimpered.

He could feel it building up inside him, fire and ice twisting in his gut. Rage, cold and burning devoured his mind. No, he screamed inside. Yes, the darkness screamed back.

The suddenness of the Doctor snapping his restraints caught then off guard. One of the technicians screamed as his ribs were broken by a blow from the Doctor's foot.

The force of the blow and the collapse of the technician caused the gurney to topple, sending White Coat, the guard and the remaining technician sprawling.

The Doctor tumbled from the gurney and rolled away into the darkness of the morgue.

White Coat recovered first. "Find him!" he hissed.

A maniacal giggle echoed out of the darkness. "Shall we play hide and seek, my version of course, "the voice dissolving into another giggle, before falling silent.

*********

Jack flew down the stairs, rage and panic giving him extra speed. He skidded to a halt outside the morgue, hoping he wasn't too late.

Slowly, cautiously he opened the door and slipped inside. The first thing he saw was the upturned gurney, and then he saw the technician lying on the floor.

"No, please don't be dead," Jack said as he felt for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it, but where were White Coat and the others.

He froze when a voice floated from somewhere inside the morgue.

"Hello Jack, I like the irony. You're a dead man, and this is a morgue."

"Doctor?" Jack called out.

"I'm sorry, the Doctor is unavailable at the moment. Please leave your name number after the beep and he'll get back to you. Thank you."

Jack shook his head; the Doctor had gone from omnipotent vengeful god to insane homicidal Time Lord. Talk about out of the frying pan.

"Jaa-ck," the Doctor's voice rang out. "Did you bring that pretty Mr. Jones? I miss him."

Jack crouched down and slowly inched forward, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The Doctor he knew would have no such problem.

"I'm waiting for an answer Jack."

"Why don't you come out and I'll tell you."

"Shame on you captain, such a cheap shot. We were enjoying a game of hide and seek, do you want to play?"

"That depends on whether you've found the others."

"They weren't much good, they're just chilling out, as they say. But talk is boring, let's play, I promise not to count to ten."

******

Martha and Owen were doing their best to treat the aliens they recognised. The ones they didn't they had to leave inside the cells.

"This is like one of those Victorian freak shows. How the hell did they get their hands on all of these?" Owen said.

Martha looked round at the menagerie. "I've a pretty good idea, Torchwood One. After Canary Wharf, there would have been all that tech and other stuff left unguarded, including these aliens."

"And they would have got the files on the Doctor as well. This place is the worst of the bad,"Owen sighed.

They looked up a Gwen approached. "Has anyone seen Shanna?"

**********

Jack peered round another gurney The Doctor had been silent for a while now, so it was now a game of cat and mouse, and not in a Tom and Jerry way.

"Come on Doctor, it's no fun if you keep hiding," he teased.

"But there's no fun if I give up that easy, is there?" the Doctor answered.

Jack turned in the direction of the Doctor's voice. He was about to call out to the Doctor again, when the door to the morgue opened.

"Doctor?" Shanna's voice echoed.

Jack froze in horror at her voice, seeing her silhouette against the light from the corridor.

"Oh look, a little mouse. Does the little mouse want to play?" the Doctor laughed.

Jack shuddered, it was the most horrid thing he had ever heard and it was coming from the Doctor.

"Are you hiding from the bad men?" Shanna asked.

Yes, do you want to hide too?" the Doctor's voice was like honey.

"Don't want to, I'm scared of the dark."

"That's all right, just follow my voice," the Doctor said silkily.

"Okay, you won't hide from me?"

Jack faced a horrible dilemma, did he grab Shanna now or wait until the Doctor was drawn out by her.

The choice was made for him when Shanna moved further into the morgue, so he had to follow.

"That's it sweetheart, just a little more," the Doctor coaxed.

Shanna cried out as the Doctor suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Hello, little mouse."

Shanna stepped back; the tone in the Doctor's voice frightened her.

"Where are you going, little mouse? Don't you want to play?" the Doctor growled and lunged towards her.

Jack slammed into him as he reached for her, both of them crashing to the floor.

Jack saw the glint of metal and instinctively grabbed the hand coming towards him. The Doctor was stronger than he looked and gradually forced Jack over onto his back, the knife in his hand inches away from jack's face.

The Doctor grinned evilly at him. "Not quite how I'd imagined it, but I'm very flexible when it comes to dancing."

"Sorry Doc, I'm not into let me kill you as I kiss you." Jack said through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps will be more accommodating, when I've finished with you and the little mouse," the Doctor grinned wickedly.

Jack could feel his grip slipping on the Doctor's wrist, and the knife inched closer. He could see the murderous glint in those black pools and knew he was going to die, just not at the hands of the Doctor.

He was surprised when the Doctor suddenly fell sideways, the knife clattering from his hand.

A very frightened Shanna stood behind him, a tray almost as big as her gripped in her hands. Tears were streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed and the tray fell to the floor with a clang as she sank to her knees beside the Doctor.

Jack sat up, feeling the bruises already and moved over to Shanna.

"It's all right honey. You stopped him hurting me, he would have been sad if he had," he put a comforting arm around her.

"But I hurt him, he won't like me anymore," she sniffed.

"Of course he'll like you, he's just very sick."

Jack looked up as the lights began to flicker and brighten.

"Shanna?" Joseph's voice rang out.

"Grandpa!" she called.

Joseph hurried over and took Shanna away from the Doctor and Jack. He moved out of the way as the rest of the team arrived.

Gwen rushed over to Jack. "I'm so sorry, she slipped past me. Thank god she's okay."

"Yeah," Jack said absently. He grabbed some body bag ties and began pulling the Doctor's hands behind him.

"What are you doing!?" Martha exclaimed.

"He tried to kill Shanna and me," he snapped as he tightened the ties around the Doctor's wrists.

"Oh no, he's not, not again," Martha's voice wavered. "But his link with the TARDIS isn't broken."

"I know it's something else. I need to get everybody bake to the Hub."

"What do we do with this place and the staff?" Ianto asked.

"Ret-Con in the water. Take White Coat with us, make sure he doesn't die of being in that freezer. Clear everybody else out, and then send this place to where it belongs, hell."

**Chapter Eleven**

Jack sat watching the news bulletin about the devastating explosion at the Gen-Med research laboratories in Nevada.

"The officer in charge of the investigation said it was lucky that a fire drill was being run at the time. He also said that it was unfortunate that the ten security guards who died in the blast were checking for any personnel left inside. Sources close to the police department say they are treating the explosion as unexplained, and investigations are ongoing. In other news award winning reporter Juliet Foreman was found today after being missing for three days. Doctors' at Dallas Trauma Centre say she is suffering from amnesia and will be admitted for further evaluation. Police will not confirm if Miss Foreman's disappearance had anything to do with the explosion at Gen-med."

Sighing he switched off the TV and wandered down to the Med-Bay. He had been chased out by an annoyed pair of doctors' as he insisted he stay, just in case.

The door was still firmly closed, so he wandered back up to the Hub centre. He still had to decide what to do with White Coat and all those aliens. When he needed the Doctor the most, the Doctor was unable to help.

He heard footsteps coming up from the med- bay and a tired Owen appeared.

"Well?" Jack asked, hoping to hear some good news.

"There's an implant alright, that screwed with his brain. But the psycho stuff could be the trauma of the last few months or..." he hesitated.

"Just say it," Jack snapped.

"He's just gone good old fashioned Jekyll and Hyde on us," Owen said, waiting for the storm to erupt.

"If you remove the implant, is there a chance he might recover," Jack said more calmly than he felt.

"It's possible, the two parts of his brain control memory and mental stability are next to each other, well they are in humans. Removing it could cure him…"

"There's a but coming isn't there?" Jack inside did a somersault.

"Yeah, a big but. There's the chance that if we remove the implant he'll still be nuts. But you have to be sure you want the surgery to go ahead, the percentages of him walking away from the surgery are less than fifty percent."

"Why?" was all Jack said.

"Because Martha and me are working blind here. We have hardly any understanding of how his brain works, which I'm so going to change. We don't know what that butcher did and how removing it will affect him or if removing it will kill him, that's if we can remove it."

Jack's already fragile hold on his temper snapped and he steamed down to the cells.

They had found White Coat and the others locked in the freezer. Jack was all for leaving them there, but was persuaded otherwise.

Now he had White Coat by his lapels, swearing he would let the Doctor loose on him, if he didn't tell them what he had done.

"Tell me, or I will kill you myself," Jack snarled as he let go of White Coat.

White Coat straightened his clothes and looked at Jack with disdain.

"What, your lackeys' can't figure it out. I'm certainly not telling you, and none of your fancy toys will work on me, as you no doubt have found out."

After that White Coat had remained silent, no matter how much Jack threatened.

**********

The Doctor had woken up eight hours later, screaming murder in Human and Gallifreyan. It had taken Jack, Ianto and Owen to manhandle him into a cell. Jack flinched as the Doctor threw himself against the cell front.

"Let me out of here, you stupid apes!" he screamed.

Jack shook his head, and the Doctor reverted to abuse in several languages.

Sighing sadly Jack walked back up to the main landing, where Owen and Martha were sitting with the rest of the team.

"Do it, I can't stand seeing him like this," he said bleakly.

**************

The Doctor leant against the rear wall of the cell, watching as Jack, Martha and Ianto entered the cell. He pushed himself lazily off the wall and used his head to point at the gun in Jacks' hand.

"Still pleased to see me then. Oh, and look you've brought me a present, no two presents, is it my birthday?" that wicked grin spread across his face again.

"Not exactly," Jack said and fired.

********

Gwen had dragged Jack out of the Hub after Owen had bawled at him to go away for the third time.

He sat despondently across from Gwen as she talked to him about anything and everything.

"Look, I know you'd rather be in there holding the Doctor's hand, but you'd only get in the way. If there's a problem they would call. Beside you'll be back before he wakes up anyway."

As she said that her phone rang. "Yes, alright, we're coming now."

Gwen looked up to find Jack already out of the door and running across the Plaza.

**********

Jack sat beside the Doctor, eyes wide open, not daring to blink, just in case he missed it when he came round.

He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them, a pair of dark brown eyes were staring at him.

"Jack?" the Doctor whispered.

"Oh, thank god," Jack smiled, his eyes never leaving those brown orbs, searching for something.

"Don't worry Jack, I'm better, my healing processes can work now," the Doctor smiled back.

He went to sit up but Jack stopped him. "Whoa there, you have to rest, doctors and my orders."

The Doctor opened his mouth to object, but thought better of it and lay back

Jack sat down on the bed. "If you stay in bed at least until tomorrow, they might not kill me if you get out of bed."

The Doctor sighed, no point arguing.

"It's kinda quiet, where is everybody?" the Doctor looked around.

"I sent them home, no need for them all to be here. Owen and Martha are on emergency call. Plus I thought you might want some quiet when you came round."

Jack stood up and reached for something hanging over a chair.

"Ianto had your clothes repaired and dry cleaned, he said you should really clear out your pockets. Something about jelly babies, fluff, and not good for sonic screwdrivers."

The Doctor actually blushed and gave Jack an apologetic smile." Tell him, thank you. You should rest, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure, I'll be in my office, if you need me, good night Doctor."

"Night Jack," the Doctor replied.

He lay back and closed his eyes, suddenly tired and thought that the itching in his head was his own brain repairing itself.

********

The Hub was quiet; the only sound the constant humming of the rift manipulator.

A figure flitted between the shadows, hesitated in front of Jack's office, before disappearing down the steps.

White Coat stood patiently waiting, smiling to himself. His little backup plan was now in action, they really should have done a deeper scan.

A figure appeared in front of the cell and White Coat smiled. "Good, the pigeon has come home. Now how about we leave this place."

The figure outside raised a trembling hand, the body trying to resist its own movement and switched on the sonic screwdriver.

*********

Jack looked up from his paperwork, something was gnawing at him. He got up and went out into the central landing. He could see nothing wrong, but the feeling still persisted, so he went down to the med-bay.

The Doctor wasn't in bed, nor in the bathroom. He looked in the small wardrobe, his clothes were gone. Thinking he might be in the TARDIS tinkering, instead of resting, he went down to storage. Passing the entrance to the cells a feeling of dread came across him.

He entered the cell block and turned to his left, his breath caught in his throat. White Coats' cell was empty, but the door wasn't open.

With his heart pounding he opened the door. There was the tang of something in the air, a familiar tang, a personal trans-mat device.

It was then that something silver caught his eye. He looked down in horror, it was the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and next to it was neatly folded piece of paper. He picked it up with a shaky hand and the message inside cut a cold track through his heart.


End file.
